Loading machine for mines



Feb. 23, 1937. M s MOORE 2,072,009

LOADING- MACHINEy FOR MINES Filed July 27, 1935 I. f8 8.15! 1a Patented Feb. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES LOADING MACHINE FOR MINES Matthew Smith Moore, Malvern, England, as-

signor of one-half to The Mining Engineering Company' British company Limited, Worcester, England, a

Application July 27, 1935, Serial No. 33,601 In Great Britain August 7, i934 10 Claims.

This invention relates to a loading machine for mines of the type described in Patent No. 1,930,016, which machine comprises a rotatable loader bar exten-ding parallel to an endless conveyor arranged transversely of the machine and adapted to discharge the coal ontoL a conveyor belt or like conveying means whereby it is removed to wagons or the like. In this machine the endless conveyor comprises a belt having a at portion projecting outwardly from one of the sides of the machine casing, and a rising portion extending around the driving shaft on the machine and adjacent a plate or bridge over which the coal or other material is discharged.

When dealing with coal considerable diiiiculty has been experienced at times both in controlling the uniform progress of the very large pieces which sometimes fall onto the belt and in evacuating the dust which falls under the belt and tends to accumulate between the return side of the belt and the machine frame. This is more particularly the case when the throw-orf plate, i. e. the plate over which the coal is delivered by the belt, is arranged at or near the highest point of the belt.

My present invention has for its object to overcome these difficulties.

With this object in view, in accordance with my invention I provide on the machine a conveyor comprising a iiexible belt, slats extending across said belt, and means co-operating with said slats for preventing the acctunulation of dust between the return side of the belt and the machine frame.

The slats, or some of them, for example alternate slats, are advantageously made of trapezoidal cross-section, with an upstanding front edge of suitable height, so that they get a sufficient hold on the coal to push it gently up the incline, while at the same time the slats on the return side of the belt are adapted to act as Scrapers for the dust. The throw-nii` plate is preferably adjustable towards and away from the conveyor belt so that the gap through which dust is liable to fall under the belt can be made so small as 1s strictly necessary to provide clearance ior the slats.

Under the throw-olf plate is a chamber open at the side opposite the conveyor to provi-de an outlet for the iine material and dust carried by the belt between the slats. Between the return side of the belt and the bottom plate of the machine, I provide a plate or shield sloping downwardly so that such portion of the fine material carried by the belt under the throw-01T plate, as is not evacuated through the open side of the dust chamber, will rind an outlet through the gap between the belt and said shield. Another shield may be provided at the return end of the belt to prevent clogging by dust scraped from the floor.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating by way of example embodiment oi my invention.

Fig. l is a sectional elevation of the conveyor.

Fig. lo is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the throw-off plate showing the means for adjustably securing same in position.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view on a larger scale showing the conveyor belt and slats in section on line II-II of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 3 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 illustrates a modiiication in section on line IV-IV of Fig. 6;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section on line V-V of Fig. 4 and Fig. 6 is a corresponding plan view.

In the drawing, l is the base plate of the loading machine on which is pivoted, at 2, a fra-me 3 supporting the conveyor which comprises the belt 4, driving shaft 5, end shaft 6 and guide plate l comprising an inclined portion and an outer horizontal portion.

The belt il which may be of any suitable material such as rubber covered cotton, is provided with slats 8 riveted or otherwise fastened thereon. At their ends, the slats t are secured to chains 9 driven by sprockets lil on the shaft 5. The slats 3 are made of trapezoidal cross-section, the higher edge i3 being in front, this shape having proved to afford a good hold in the coal to be conveyed, while efficiently preventing the accumulation of dust Under the belt.`

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the ends of the slats 8 are dovet-ailed as shown at ll and engaged in correspondingly shaped recesses or notches cut in some l2, of the chain links. In addition to the carrying slats 8, and preferably in alternate relation therewith, I may provide additional slats lll of half round or other cross-section to reinforce the belt.

In the modification shown in Figs. Zl to 6 -all the slats are of trapezoidal cross-section with an upstanding front edge i3, and they are secured by rivets l5 to the belt 6l. Their ends, preferably notched as shown at l, are engaged together with the belt and suitable packing pieces ll between lugs i3 formed on alternate chain links, the parts being secured together by rivets i9. 'Ihis type of chain is tted with rollers it running in suitable tracks (not shown).

Substantially tangential to the raised end of the conveyor is the throw-oli plate 2! which is adjustably fitted on its support 22 Whereon it is secured by means of bolts 29 (Fig. la) or otherwise in the most suitable position with relation to the belt. In operation, the co-al falling on the fiat portion of the belt is caught by the slats 8, carried up the slope and thrown over the plate 2l onto a chute 23 whence it is delivered for example to a longwall conveyor (not shown).

The iine material and dust which is carried between the slats 8 under the plate 2| falls into a chamber 2 which is provided under said plate and is open at 25 on the side remote from the belt. In order to prevent accumulation of dust under the belt I arrange under the return side of the belt a plate or shield 26 sloping downwardly in a direction almost parallel to, though slightly more inclined than, the return side of the belt, thus forming a gap 2l gradually haring downw-ardly. While the greater part of the ne material carried by the belt under the plate 2l is evacuated through the open side 25 of the dust chamber, the surplus will be removed through the gap 2. The slats 3 acting as scrapers along the plate 2t, the material falling thereon will be pushed outwardly and thrown on the iioor.

To prevent dust scraped from the floor by the return side of the belt clogging the 'end support, I further provide at the return end of the conveyor, a curved plate or shield 28, which is slightly eccentric to the shaft E and provides a gap of increasing cross-section through which any m-aterial caught by the underside of the belt is brought to the upper side where it is dealt with together with the material fed to the conveyor.

I claim:

l. In a loading machine for mines, the combination of a machine frame, a conveyor extendinCr transversely of said frame, said conveyor comprising an endless belt and slats extending across said belt, and means co-operating with said slats for preventing the accumulation of dust between the return side of said belt and said machine frame, said means comprising a throwoff plate substantially tangential to the delivery end of said conveyor, and an inclined dust shield under the return side oi said conveyor.

2. In a loading Imachine for mines, the combination of a machine frame, an endless belt conveyor extending transversely of said frame, said conveyor having a rising portion over said frame and a flat portion extending outwardly therefrom, slats on said conveyor, and means co-operating with said slats for preventing the accumulation of dust between the return side of said belt and said machine frame, said means comprising a throw-off plate extending substantially tangentially to the top portion of said conveyor, and a plate under the return side of said conveyor, said plate being slightly more inclined than said return side.

3. In a loading machine for mines, the combination of a machine frame, an endless belt conveyor extending transversely of said frame, slats on said conveyor, said slats having a trapezoidal cross-section with an upstanding front edge of greater height than its rear edge, and means cooperating with said slats for preventing the accumulation of dust between the return side of said belt and said machine frame, said means comprising a throW-oi plate extending substantially tangentially to the delivery portion of said conveyor, an inclined plate under the return side of said conveyor, and a dust chamber between said throw-oir" plate and said inclined plate.

ll. In a loading machine for mines, the combination of a machine frame, an endless belt conveyor extending transversely of said frame and having a rising portion over said frame, slats on said conveyor of trapezoidal cross-section with an opstanding front edge of greater height than its rear edge, and a horizontal throw-ofi plate substantially tangential to the higher portion of said conveyor, said plate being horizontally adjustable on said frame towards and away from said oonveyor.

5. In a loading machine for mines, the combination of a machine frame, an endless belt conveyor having a rising portion over said frame, slats on said conveyor and an inclined plate between said irame and the return side of the belt conveyor, the space between said plate and the return side of said belt conveyor gradually increasing in width towards the end of said plate.

6. In a loading machine for mines, the combination of a machine frame, an endless belt conveyor having a rising portion over said frame, slats on said conveyor of trapezoidal cross-section with an opstanding iront edge of greater height than its rear edge, and a plate between said frame and the return side of said belt conveyor, said plate being in close proximity to but slightly more inclined than the return side of said belt conveyor.

'7. In a loading machine for mines, the combination ci a machine frame, an endless belt conveyor extending across said frame and having a rising portion over said frame, slats on said conveyor of trapescidal cross-section with an upstanding front edge, a throw-off plate adjustably mounted on said frame adjacent the top of the rising portion of said conveyor, and a shield between said frame and the return side of said conveyor, said shield being slightlyA more inclined than the return side of said conveyor.

8. In loading machine for mines, the combination oi a machine frame, an endless belt conveyor having a rising portion over said frame and an outwardly extending flat portion, slats on said conveyor having an upstanding iront edge, an inclined duet shield between said frame and the return side of said conveyor, and a curved shield surrounding the outer end of said conveyor, said curved shield being spaced away :irom said dust shield.

9. In a loading machine for mines, the combination of a machine frame, an endless belt conveyor extending across said frame and having a rising portion over said frame and an outwardly extending flat portion, slats on said conveyor having an upstanding front edge, a throw-off plate adjustably mounted on said frame adjacent the top of the rising portion of said conveyor, a shield between said frame and the return side of said conveyor, said shieldbeing slightly more inolined than the return side of said conveyor, and a curved shield surrounding the outer end of said conveyor and slightly eccentric thereto.

lo. In a loading machine for mines, the cornbination of a machine frame, an endless conveyor belt extending across said frame, slats on said belt of trapezoidal cross-section with an upstanding iront edge, chains on each side of said'belt, means connecting said slats with said chains, a throw-off plate on said frame adapted to cooperate with said slats, and a plate under the return side of said belt leaving between said plate and return side a gap iiaring in the direction of movement of said belt.

MATTHEW SMITH MOORE. 

